Four-star big man makes signing day switch

In football recruiting, signing day is a wild affair with lots of flips and surprise decisions. Basketball signing day is usually much more certain and flips are more of a rarity. Four-star big man Payton Dastrup is one of the rare cases.

The No. 100 player in the class of 2014 last week committed to Ohio State. However, as a lifelong fan of runner up BYU, the product of Mesa (Ariz.) Mountain View couldn't shake the feeling that he may have made the wrong decision.

According to Dastrup's father, David the younger Dastrup had expected to feel a burden lifted off his shoulders after committing. While he had some excitement, Dastrup didn't feel like a weight had been lifted

"There was some excitement but the weight wasn't gone," the elder Dastrup told Rivals.com. "He came to me Saturday and said Dad I can't get rid of the way I feel inside.

"I told him you can't pretend. I'm hoping that people can relate to an 18 year old kid wanting to make a decision. He had the courage to say he's bucking the trend by going to somewhere other than BYU. It was followed by a second courageous decision to say I've got to be true to me and really being true to me is going to BYU."

A skilled big man who can shoot and rebound. Dastrup has a pair of wide shoulders that he will grow into with experience and maturity. After graduation he'll take a Mormon Mission for two years and at the end of the day he just couldn't pass up playing for the program he grew up cheering for.

"You can't take the kid out or away from a school but you can't take the school out of the kid," said Mr. Dastrup. "I think what it came down to is that Payton found out how much he grew up cheering, following and being passionate as a fan of BYU sports. He thought he could separate himself from growing up as a diehard fan and still be able to pursue his dream.

"I think he realized that when he continued to feel that pit in his stomach he needed to make a change."

The addition of Dastrup -- who will sign a letter of intent on Wednesday -- bolsters an already strong BYU class. He joins four-star combo guard T.J. Haws and three-star forwards Dalton Nixon and Jake Toolson.